1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to computer apparatus, and more particularly relates to keyboard structures for portable computers such as notebook computers.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years the notebook computer has made considerable gains in both popularity and technical sophistication. One factor contributing to the increasing popularity of the notebook computer is its ever decreasing size and weight, a factor arising from the ability to fabricate various components of the computer in smaller and smaller sizes while, in many cases, increasing the power and/or operating speed of such components.
One continuing challenge in the design of notebook computers, however, is the keyboard structure. This design challenge arises from two conflicting design goals--the desire to even further reduce the size of the keyboard structure, and the desirability of having the notebook computer emulate as closely as possible the size and typing "feel" of a desktop computer keyboard.
There are, of course, two dimensional factors which may be varied to reduce the size of a notebook computer keyboard structure--its horizontal dimensions (i.e., its length and width), and its vertical or thickness dimension. The horizontal dimensions of the keyboard are governed by the number, size, and relative spacing of the manually depressible key cap portions of the keyboard, and various reductions in these three dimensional factors may be utilized to reduce the overall length and/or width of the keyboard. However, as will be readily appreciated, a reduction in these three configurational aspects to gain a keyboard size reduction correspondingly lessens the similarity of the notebook computer keyboard in appearance, key arrangement and typing feel to its desktop counterpart.
Similar restraints are also presented when attempts are made to reduce the overall thickness of a notebook computer keyboard. One possibility which has been investigated and attempted is to simply reduce the keystroke distance in the notebook computer keyboard compared to its desktop counterpart. Using this design technique, the overall thickness of the notebook computer in its closed storage and transport orientation may be correspondingly reduced. However, this thickness reduction in the overall notebook computer, achieved by reducing the keyboard keystroke distance, creates what many users consider to be an undesirable typing "feel" difference compared to the longer keystroke distance typically found in a larger desktop computer keyboard.
Another possibility that has been considered and evaluated has been to simply reduce the vertical thicknesses of the individual key cap members so that they can be positioned closer to their underlying support structure without reducing their normal key stroke distance. While this approach reduces the overall vertical thickness of the keyboard assembly it is considered to be aesthetically unpleasing since a gap is created between the computer bezel and the bottom of each key cap member, thereby unattractively exposing the underlying key switch mechanisms to view.
As can be readily seen from the foregoing, it would be desirable to provide an improved notebook computer keyboard structure which permits a useful thickness reduction in the closed computer without a corresponding reduction in the operative keystroke distance of the keyboard structure or an aesthetically unattractive vertical shortening of the key cap members. It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide such an improved notebook computer keyboard structure.